Elizabeth Wilder 1924-2019

Elizabeth Wilder passed away at home with family on the morning of January 10th 2019 shortly after joyously celebrating her 94th birthday on December 4th.

Born in 1924 in Detroit, Ml to Claude Denton and Miriam Rorscheib, she was the oldest of 3 children. Elizabeth (Betty to her friends and family), her brother William Denton, and sister Mildred Callison spent the majority of their younger years under the care of their grandparents Jeanette and William Rorscheib in Hazelton, IN. Betty moved back to the Detroit area and began full-time work at age 16 after her grandmother’s death.

After her first daughter, Paula, was born, life took her to Petersburg, IN where she would eventually meet and later marry her husband John P. Smith and have her second daughter, Donna. In December of 1970, Betty lost her husband to heart disease, leading to her move a few years later with her daughter Paula to be closer to her sister in Mountain Home, ID. Donna moved to nearby Boise, ID with her husband shortly after. Betty took a job at the air force base as a telephone operator and eventually met a former navy serviceman working at the base’s elementary school. Immediately smitten, she and George Wilder were married after a brief courtship.

Betty and George continued to live in Mountain Home until the late 1990’s when they moved to Boise as George needed further medical care after a stroke. After the move, Betty became George’s sole caregiver and dedicated her life to his care until his death in 2009. Betty continued to live in their home until her death.

Betty leaves behind two children, Paula Tomberlin (Mountain Home, ID) and Donna Weddle (Boise, ID), a granddaughter, Jessica Weddle, and several close friends. A rosary was held Thursday, January 17, from 4 to 6 p.m at the Summers Funeral Home-Ustick location. On Friday, January 18, a funeral service was held at 10 a.m. also at the Summers Funeral Home located at: 3629 E. Ustick Rd. Meridian, Idaho.

Memories and condolences can be expressed to the family on Elizabeth’s memorial web page at www.summersfuneral.com.